Method and apparatus for forming sleepers in building construction



Nov. 20, 1951 c. LE R. OLSON 2,575,678

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SLEEPER-S IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Jan. 10, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET l Nov. 20, 1951 c. LE R. OLSON METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SLEEPERS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Filed Jan. 10, 1950 n u I 1 n "1 I INVENTOR. CLARENCE LEROY OLSON BY ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 20, 1951 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FORMING SLEEPERS IN BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Clarence Le Roy Olson, San Francisco, Calif. 7 Application January 10, 1950, Serial No. 137,713 3 Claims. (Cl. 25-118) This invention relates to a method and apparatus for forming sleepers in building construction, and more particularly to such method and apparatus for forming sleepers of moldable cementitious materials upon which wooden flooring may be supported in building construction. In order to nail flooring to sleeper it is apparent that such sleepers must be readily penetrable by nails and adapted to hold the nails tenaciously, yet resistant to fracture. In comparison with wooden sleepers, the poured cementitious sleepers are relatively imperishable. The composition material of which the sleepers are formed is a pourable semi-liquid or fluent aggregate as a mass and is capable of molding in forms and setting in situ in the same manner as Portland cement aggregate. Such material is a well known commercial product consisting generally of suitable nail penetrable aggregate bonded by magnesium chloride. 7

In standardized construction such sleepers are laid or formed on 16 inch centers and usually the upper floor-supporting face thereof is provided with a width of 2%; inches, whereas it is desirable that the base shall be between 3 and 4 inches wide. The height of the sleepers is usually a minimum of 2 inches. Such dimensions, however, are not intended as a limitation of the invention and are specified as illustrative of standard and usual practice.

Briefly the invention includes apparatus for forming the sleepers comprising an assembly of a frame having a molding form portion, a leveling member for a series of the frames, and means to raise the frame from'a supporting slab to the leveling member, and in placement of a plurality or series of such frames in proper spaced sequence on a supporting slab and raising the molding form portions of the frame to a uniform plane or level against the leveling member and pouring and properly troweling the cementitious matter in the space or forms provided between adjacent frames.

Frequently, and almost universally, the underlying or supporting cement slabs upon which the sleepers are based not precisely smooth and level or in a uniform plane, and in building the usual wooden forms for pouring such sleepers all irregularities of plane of the supporting slab must be individually considered and compensated in the wooden frames.

Among the objects of the invention are to eliminatewvooden sleepers and, to provide a method for eliminating the labor and expense of constructing wooden forms for pouringcementitious sleepers.

Another object is to provide means and methods for forming cementitious sleepers of uniform level or plane at the upper or nailing face thereof. A further object is to provide means and method for forming cementitious sleepers in which irregularities in a supporting slab or base may be readily compensated to provide uniformity of plane of the upper or nailing face of the sleepers. I

A still further object is to provide a means and method of forming flooring sleepers whereby a predetermined width of nailing surface ofthe sleepers may be readily altered, if desired.

One form in which the invention maybe exemplified is described in the specification herein, supplemented and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, the method being described in connection with the illustrated apparatus.

In the drawingv Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary transverse enlarged section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective of finished sleepers, showing flooring thereon.

Fig. 4 is a perspective of a frame member in open position.

Fig. 5 is a perspective of the frame member of Fig. 4 in collapsed position.

Fig. 6 is an end view of an initial operation of one manner of positioning the molding frames with levelingbar thereon, based on a concrete slab, the latter being broken and in sections.

Fig. 7 is an end View of an intermediate step in raising and supporting a leveling bar over moldingframes. Fig. 8 is an end view of a final step in supporting a leveling bar over molding frames and bringing intermediate molding frames into contact with the overlying leveling bar to provide uniform height to the upper edge of a plurality of side'by side molding frames.

Referring to the drawing in which like reference characters indicate corresponding parts in the several views, [0 is a suitable concrete supporting slab of a building structure. Upon this slab are placed a plurality of elongated molding frames in suitable spaced parallel side-by-side relation. The molding frames ll each comprises apair of elongated angle :ironsof any desired length convenient for operating in "filling and tro'weling of the sleepers'formed' therebetween, six'to eight feetbeing suggested as the convenient extending'perpendicular thereto at the-outer edge and providing outer vertical side walls for the frame. The horizontal flanges are connected adjacent opposite ends by crossstraps; l;4:of-:substantially equal length, the connection. of the straps to the angle iron flanges, being by pivotal, connection, such as headed rivets lwhereby the frame thus formed may be OQHBLQSBQfDRIQmQVaL from the cementitious sleeper after it i set, and

also for storage or transportation purposes, by-

bringing the angle ironstowards each other trapezoidally; In placing the frames uponasupporting slab the horizontal flanges are substantially parallel with=the-s1ab. In order to-fur nish awide area for connection ofthe straps M- to the horizontalflanges, it is preferred that the horizontal flanges i3 shall besubstantially wider than the height of the: vertical flanges I 2; forexample, if the vertical flanges are twa inches high, the width of the horizontal flangesmay suitably be between 3 and- 4 inches wide; By providing. the wider horizontal flanges, the cementitious mix may-be-spread laterally: beneath the horizontal flanges-whenthe: forms areraised to contact a uniformleveling bar and the-fluent mix is poured into the space betweenadjacent forms to form the molded sleepers as will -be more particularly-further described.

Elongated uniform leveling bars 16 are provided: in transversely overlie the: upper edge; of the vertical flanges l 2:ofaseriesof the-moulding frames, one leveling bar being-disposed adjacent each of" the opposite ends of an aligned series of frames. These leveling bars are-rigid andmreferably consist of lengths ofiangle: irons having relatively perpendicular vertical flange Mia and horizontal flange l6b.=.

It is to be notedthatethe molding-frames-are raised: from: the supporting slab-1 by means-of elongated triangular wedges I! which are: slid under the centralportion of the crossstraps l4 until the upper edge=of the vertical flanges of the a'ngle irons of each frame contacts the lower faceof the-leveling bar. By employmentof the leveling bars, it becomes unnecessary to sepa rately compute and adjust the predetermined heightof'the vertical flanges: of eachseparate moldingframe; It is only-necessaryto first properly adjust the leveling bars to a predetermined height. from the supporting slab l0, and the bottom horizontalfaceof flange: I65 is thereby spaced from theface. of the supporting slab a distance which is: the predetermined finished height of the sleepers. positioning of the leveling bar may be accomplished'by-any suitable supporting blocks thereunder, but since themoldingframes H may be elevated and lowered'by the-wedgeblocks I'linto contact with the bottom face of the levelingbars, it is-preferred', inopera! tion, that any two relatively spacedi molding frame. assemblies, and. the wedges thereunder, may servei the purpose of; elevating the-leveling bars, -.to the predetermined extentby inserting the wedges; under. the straps 14: until the predetermined:- elevation: ofzthei leveling bars has: been to a true horizontal, or to an incline, by use of a spirit level.

Once having properly positioned the leveling bars by a pair of molding frames, all other molding frames beneath the leveling bars may be elevated by their respective Wedges to contact the under face of the leveling bars, thus eliminating necessity of making measured adjustment, of the height of any: of. the molding frames underlying the leveling bar, except-the two which are initially employed to establish the predetermined height of the leveling bars. If independent blocks are: employed to; initially position the leveling bars; at. a; predetermined height from the slab, then obviously all of the frames would similarly beraised bythewedge to contact the leveling bar..

Thus all of the frames in the series are provided with co-planar upper edges of their vertical flanges, regardless of the irregularity or unevenness. of the: surface; ofi the. supportingslab lfl; Theplacing of: wedges. 1.1- under the center of the. cross straps l4- hasv arr-.additionahadvantage,. in that frequently the. cross straps. become somewhat bent in the. rough. usage encountered inthis type of construction, such asrbeingstepped upon by. workmen, but. by; this employment. of elongated: triangular wedges, each frame may be raised varying. amounts until .the leveling; baris contacted;. and when oneside. angle; iromof the frame conta cite .the leveling: bar; the; wedge: serves as a fulcrum: to. lift; the. opposite angleiromof that frame into contact-.with the; lower: face ofthe leveling. bar, eventhoughzthe-cross straps; l4 may be irregularorbent.

To more fully describeibyrreference to figures. of. the, drawings, the: manner of raising; andsupe porting. the leveling bars. IB so-that themolding frames may beraisedthereagainst,. it will. be noted that in Fig. 1 independent. wedge shaped supporting blocks. [60. have been. shown in the drawing as the. meansfor. raising and. supporting theleveling bars 1 Elm predetermined spacedrelation. to concrete slabs, since such independent supporting blocks have theadvantage of raising. and supporting, the leveling bars and, permitting the removaLof. theileveling bar as soonas, the fluid cement, sleepers. have been. pouredijbetween' opposed faces of the angle, ironsof next', adj acent molding bars, so that the'leVeling barsandtlie independent supporting blocks I60 maybe moved to operate with a second series of" side by side moldingframes while thepcementbetween a first series of molding frame is being troweied and set: Obviously the wedge shaped blocks lfic as shown in Fig; 1- would be of greater height'than thewedged blOCkS'j l I; substantially tothe extent of the height of vertica-l'walls l2of' the-molding frame.

InFigs; 6; 7 and-8 the levelingbars=- lfi-are-raised to a predetermined height by first positioning a plurality of molding frames in side by sid'e alignment' on the cement slab and=plaoing-the-leveling bar thereover as in Fig. 6, then raising the-opposite endmolding frames by means of wedges I] under the crossed'str-apsl4-which raisesthe level ing bars to a predetermined heightfrom the slab as in Fig. 7; whereupon the intermediateor inter vening moulding framesmaybe raisedby-wedges H to contact the bottom face of the-leveling'bar; as shownin Fig, 8;

The mode of operation in forming the-sleepers as follows: Assuming the laying and existence of a suitable supporting slab l l1, aseries of 'mould accomplished- The levelingrbars: maybe trued l5 ing frames Lare-disposedmparailel-alignment;

sleepers of 2 inch width of face, the frames are placed in series so that adjacent vertical flanges of next adjacent frames are spaced apart 2% inches, though they may be spaced any other distance if finished sleepers of a different width are desired.

Having suitably placed the frames in series on the supporting slab In, the leveling bars are placed thereover transversely perpendicular thereto, one leveling bar being positioned adjacent each end of the aligned series of molding frames. The leveling bars are suitably level in any well known manner, or in the preferred manner hereinabove set forth and may be trued by spirit level or otherwise, with the bottom face thereof spaced from the supporting slab at a height which is the predetermined desired height of the finished sleepers. The molding frames II which have not been previously raised to support the leveling bars, are then raised from the supporting slab by means of wedges ll until the upper edges of both of the vertical flanges [2 of each frame firmly contacts the lower flange face of the leveling bar, the elongated triangular form of the wedge serving to prevent slipping thereof when it has been inserted under the cross straps M. The frames having been so spaced in series, and levelled, the cementitious material may be poured by any suitable means into the empty spaces between opposed vertical flanges of adjacent frames, which is the predetermined width of the sleepers, and normally is a space 2 inches wide. The raising of the frames from the supporting slab by means of the wedge obviously correspondingly raises the horizontal flanges l3 of the frame away from the supporting slab, and, therefore, when the fluent cementitious material is poured, portions thereof spread out beneath the horizontal flanges to provide a relatively wide base supporting the upper portion of the sleepers. After the poured material has sufficiently hardened or set, the upper surface is trowelled in the usual manner to remove surplus materials and to provide a smooth floor receiving surface, for which purpose the upper edges of the vertical flanges of adjacent frames serve as a leveling guide or form, whereby all the smooth upper faces of the sleepers are of similar elevation because such similar level has been previously established by the predetermined leveling of the leveling bars I6. After the sleepers have been uniformly levelled and smoothed, they are permitted to further set and harden in the usual manner, and then the leveling member and frames are removed for repeat of the operation, the trapezoidal collapsing of the frames assisting in such removal and moving of the frame from one operative location to another.

If desired to prevent static or dead air space between the sleepers after a floor is laid thereover, hollow ventilating tubes I8 may be imbedded in the sleepers extending through the body of the sleeper and communicating between the spaces on opposite sides thereof. It is preferred that each ventilator be placed under the horizontal flanges of the frames H after the frames are raised by the wedges, since at that time the frames have been securely positioned by engaging'the levelin .bar and are not liable to be inadvertently moved from such predetermined position.

. Since the purpose of the sleepers is to provide a;-nailed penetrable supportfor flooring it is to be-observedthat suitable flooring may be positioned thereover and nailed in the usual manner, using subflo'oring Island finished flooring 20. In some, floor construction, such as in gymnasiums, it is desirable toprovide some degree of resilience orspringiness to, .the;flooring, and this may be accomplished by placing a floor supporting frame Work upon the sleepers prior to installation of the flooring boards.

However, the flooring, whatever its nature, is not a part of the invention, since it is only a form of use of the sleepers, and the method of forming the sleepers and the apparatus employed is the same regardless of the type of overlying flooring employed.

Having described the claimed as patentable is:

1. A method of forming sleepers in building construction comprising the step of arranging on a supporting slab base a plurality of elongated molding frame members in parallel side-by-side alignment and relatively spaced relation, placing a leveling bar member transversely over each of the opposite end portions of the plurality of spaced frames, positioning the bottom face of the leveling bar in predetermined spaced relation above the slab base and in overlying spaced relation to at least some of said molding frames, raising said last mentioned frames from the slab and into contact with the bottom face of the leveling member, providing a free space between the supporting slab and the bottom of the molding frames, filling the space between opposed faces of adjacent molding frames with cementitious sleeper-forming material and flowing a portion of the cementitious material into said free space to make the base of the sleeper wider than the sleeper portion between the molding frames, and removing the frames after the cementiticusmaterial has formed a set.

2. A method of forming sleepers in building construction comprising the steps of arranging on a supporting slab base a plurality of elongated transversely collapsible folding frame members relatively spaced in parallel side-by-side alignment, placing a leveling bar member transversely over each of the opposite end portions of the plurality of spaced frames, raising the leveling bar to a predetermined spaced relation overlying at least some of the moulding frames, leveling said bar in said predetermined spaced relation, raising said frames from the slab by elevating pressure transversely centrally of the frame until the frames are in contact with the bottom face of the leveling member, providing a free space between the supporting slab and the bottom of the molding frames, filling the space between the opposed faces of adjacent frames with cementitious sleeper-forming material and flowing a porinvention,

tion of the cementitious material into said free space to make the base of the sleeper wider than the sleeper portion between the molding frames, and transversely collapsing and removing the frames after the cementitious material has formed a set.

3. In apparatus for forming moldable cementitious flooring sleepers'on a supporting slab, comwhat is bar of lengm sufli'cie'ntfdv tramwayam 131mg: 3. pluml ity' of sai'd frames; m: pm mat smby sfdezanignmentgmeans twsuppdnfisa ldilwefmg? m siiili i alb;fiibmfromthe suppamn' said. frame having a pair of parallelly elongated: angle-1mm bars; eacm'df wmi msa Vertical flaiig afl-thbfitViiif 8 mm inws ctm bfict wittitm leveling bar comprising efaz lgaltd 'tflan'gulan wedges adaptediion entering Betwegm tits: supporting slab and the; straps 0t tfim gme.

' I c. LE1 ROY OLSON REFERENCES CITED "l h fbHbw-ing references are of record in the being:'conrrontmglyrelacivelydpposbd" itichldihg': straps ivotany' mm Mammoi the frame: beltweernsaid horizdnmiflhngefsi UNITED"STA'I'ES' PATENTS Name Date McWilliams: et a1. Apr. 5,,192-7 

